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In 1968 Daniel Odier left Europe for the Himalayas, searching for a master who could help him go where texts and intellectual searching could no longer take him. He wanted everything: the wisdom and spirituality gained from the life of an ascetic and the beauty, love, and sensuality of a life of passion. He found both in Shivaic Tantrism, the secret spiritual path that seeks to transcend ego and rediscover the divine by embracing the passions. In an isolated Himalayan forest Odier met Devi, a great yogini who would take him on a mystical journey like none he had ever imagined. At times taking him beyond the limits of sexual experience, at times threatening him with destruction, she taught him what it is to truly be alive and to know the divine nature of absolute love.
Daniel Odier Tantric Quest: An Encounter With Absolute Love.
Inner Traditions ( USA ) Tantric Quest: An Encounter With Absolute Love.
The author reveals his passionate experiences with a female Tantric master who taught him the suppressed practices of her ancient order.
In 1968 Daniel Odier left Europe for the Himalayas, searching for a master who could help him go where texts and intellectual searching could no longer take him. He wanted everything: the wisdom and spirituality gained from the life of an ascetic and the beauty, love, and sensuality of a life of passion. He found both in Shivaic Tantrism, the secret spiritual path that seeks to transcend ego and rediscover the divine by embracing the passions. In an isolated Himalayan forest Odier met Devi, a great yogini who would take him on a mystical journey like none he had ever imagined. At times taking him beyond the limits of sexual experience, at times threatening him with destruction, she taught him what it is to truly be alive and to know the divine nature of absolute love.
This is the personal memoir of one of France's most honored writers.
Tantrism is the only ancient philosophy to survive all historical upheavals, invasions, and influences to reach us intact by uninterrupted transmission from master to disciple, and the only one to retain the image of the Great Goddess as the ultimate source of power. -
Nothing can match the explosive energy created in the body by pure desire. For millennia, Tantric adepts have harnessed this force as a means of attaining the summits of the mystical life. The energies fueled by passion are used to nourish the inner flame that burns away the egotistical perception of the mind.
Daniel OdierDesire, The Tantric Path To Awakening
Inner traditions ( USA ) Desire, The Tantric Path To Awakening
Explains how the primal energy generated by physical desire can be used to achieve enlightenment • Reveals the techniques used by Tantric adepts to attain mastery over breath, thought, and all physical processes
Desire explores the subtle techniques of Tantra that enable the seeker to attain the triple mastery of the breath, thought, and the natural processes of the body. Tantrics believe that the body is the temple and divinity lies at its heart. In order to arrive at profound awareness, the body needs to be perfectly tuned and working toward a state of perfect fluidity. Desire reveals many of the secret practices intended for this purpose that have been passed down in the major Tantric treatises such as the Vijnanabhariva Tantra and Ch'an master Chinul's treatise on the Secrets of Cultivating the Mind, including the important techniques of the ritual sexual observances known as Maithuna. -
The Spandakarika, the "Tantric Song of the Divine Pulsation," is said to have been transmitted directly to the sage Vasugupta from the hands of Shiva on Mount Kailas. In his commentary on these fifty-two stanzas, the sage Ksemaraja described them as the heart of the Mahamudra.
Daniel Odier Yoga Spandakarika: the sacred texts at the origins of Tantra ebook Yoga Spandakarika: the sacred texts at the origins of Tantra
Inner Traditions (USA) Yoga Spandakarika: the sacred texts at the origins of Tantra ebook Yoga Spandakarika: the sacred texts at the origins of Tantra
The Spandakarika, or "Song of the Sacred Tremor," is one of the most important Tantric texts in the tradition of Kashmiri Shaivism. In fact, it is said to have been transmitted directly to the sage Vasugupta from the hands of Shiva on Mount Kailas. In his commentary on these fifty-two stanzas, the sage Ksemaraja described them as the heart of the Mahamudra, the Great Cosmic Gesture. In Yoga Spandakarika Daniel Odier presents a full translation of the song accompanied by his own commentary and the commentary of more than thirty Tantric masters.
The oldest masters of Spandakarika viewed everything in the universe, including matter, as consciousness and created a yoga practice in accordance with this realization. The sacred dance of Yoga Spandakarika, Tandava, is extremely subtle and difficult, requiring thousands of hours of practice to master, yet it surpasses any other physical practice, allowing the practitioner to touch the divine inner pulse. Once its third stage has been mastered, the yogi or yogini is able to manifest the dance of Shiva in space, a tradition visible in the statuary of Tantric temples in India and Tibet. Energy is no longer contracted by the perception of duality, and the mind and body become unbounded, forming a sphere that contains all that was formerly outside. In Yoga Spandakarika Daniel Odier passes on these vanishing teachings as he received them from his Tibetan master, Kalu Rinpoche, and Kashmiri yogini Lalita Devi. In addition to his translation of the Spandakarika, Odier includes a complete translation of the Vijnanabhairava Tantra, the oldest source text on yoga.
Biography
Daniel Odier became a disciple of Kalou Rinpoché in 1968. He followed his teachings and received the Mahamûdra transmission. Pursuing his earlier interest in Chan (the Chinese zen of origins), he studied the correlation between Tantra and Ch'an, inspired by the work of the Chinese hermit Chien Ming Chen who he met in Kalimpong in 1968.
Some years later in the Himalayas Dan iel followed the teachings of his Kashmiri master, the yogi Lalita Devî who also gave him the Mahamûdra transmission as well as some of the most profound mystical teachings of the Pratyabhijnâ and Spanda schools of the Kaula tradition.
Daniel taught Tantrism and Buddhism in several American universities before founding the Tantra/Chan centre in Paris, in 1995. In 2000, he disbanded this centre in order to encourage independent practice and today he gives workshops and seminars throughout the world.
His books on tantrism, which have been translated into eight languages, deal with the most profound aspects of the Shivaite tantric path and of Chan.
In 2002, Daniel received ordination in the Zen Soto tradition from Kosen Sensei, in Catalonia.
In China in 2004, Daniel received the transmission of the Zhao Zhou (778-897) lineage from the great Chinese Chan master Jing Hui, dharma heir of Xu Yun (1839-1959), holder of the five Chan lineages, and considered to be the greatest Chan master of the 20 th century. Now a recognised Sifu (Chan master), Dan iel brings together in his teachings the two paths which have affected him the most deeply. He offers a form of secular Buddhism which is directly connected to everyday reality and which embodies the essence of Chan. It doesn't involve the traditional steps such as taking refuge, making vows and other formal commitments. Dan iel's practice is centred around Zhao Zhou style meditation sessions, which combine sitting meditation with vigorous, lively walking, always in a state of total presence. (go to www.zhaozhou-chan.com …)
Daniel is also the author of a number of novels, most recently "L'ombre au fond du Fleuve" which will be published by Albin Michel at the beginning of 2006.
Daniel Odier has also written numerous novels, essays and poems. He has translated the works of Lalla, a XIVth century Kashmiri poet and spiritual master (Seuil) as well as an anthology of texts from Chan and Zen masters collected by Thomas Cleary and published under the title « The secrets of meditation » (Pocket).